


On a Midsummer Morn

by The_Shy_One



Series: Safe Haven [1]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Crush at First Sight, F/M, First Meetings, Flirting, Light Angst, One Shot, Sparring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:40:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28996122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Shy_One/pseuds/The_Shy_One
Summary: Boba spies a mysterious stranger coming towards the palace early one morning.
Relationships: Boba Fett & Fennec Shand, Boba Fett/The Armorer (The Mandalorian TV), The Armorer (The Mandalorian TV) & Din Djarin
Series: Safe Haven [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138844
Comments: 10
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

She arrived a few weeks after they had taken over the palace. One of the suns was peeking over the horizon when she was spotted coming towards them, walking over the dunes with ease. Boba watched through a pair of electrobinoculars as she came closer, her fur cape surrounding her shoulders while her golden helmet weakly reflected the low morning sunlight. 

Her movements were precise, nothing wasted as she continued to come for the palace even though Tatooine always sucked a part of you out. He watched for a few moments more, feeling the heat of the first sun start to reach him while the second sun started to peek over the horizon. She had a belt, filled with tools that he’d recognized to be tools of a blacksmith. Boba puts down the electrobinoculars, wondering what would bring a Mandalorian here - one of her skills as well. 

He’d never seen her before when he was escaped the Sarlacc pit, nor had he heard of a Mandalorian Blacksmith when Fennec provided a way for him to get off this dustball of a planet. The Purge had stamped out every conceivable way the Mandalorians could rise up to fight against the Empire and blacksmiths were first to go since they would provide the armour that would protect the squads willing to fight back.

He hears Fennec behind him, walking up to his side to see what he was staring at. The suns were a bit higher, already bringing the unbearable heat with them. Still, he doesn’t rush to speak to hear Fennec’s thoughts.

“Friend or foe?” She asks, still watching the newcomer. Her voice held no malice, only the question of what Boba would do with the blacksmith. She was as curious as him about the mysterious Mandalorian.

“We see what she brings.” He said, turning to go. Boba hears the soft chuckle from her as she follows after him and he smiles, glad to have her around.

They reach the throne room and take their positions. There was nobody else there - as it was early in the morning - but Boba knew it would be good to appear interested in what the blacksmith would bring even if it was to answer his question of why she came here. The sound of armour sounded through the halls as the mysterious Mandalorian made her way through the palace.

After a few minutes, she appears down the stairway. Her helmet shines dully, but the way she continued to hold herself with poise and moved with no wasted movement despite the tools clinking against her thigh plates, hidden beneath her skirt. She walked into the throne room, coming before him and Fennec, staring at him. After a few moments, she kneels before them, head bowed.

“It’s good to see someone better on that throne,” The Blacksmith said, voice levelled and calm. It made Boba sit up a bit straighter, almost willing to lean forward to hear her voice again. It was a voice of a person who was used to having people listening and following them, earning respect by leading with an even hand. “Din was right to follow you.”

Boba blinks at that. She knew Din? He sees her tilt her head, amusement evident in that single movement. “He didn’t know that I was following his progress on his quest, Fett.”

“Nor tell me how he knew a Mandalorian blacksmith,” He said finally. The Blacksmith takes this as a sign to stand, her tools making a light sound as they hit against her thigh plates once more.

“He was more focused on the child than what he lost with the Covert scattering. I’m sure you heard the incident on Nevarro that happened months ago.” She counters. Boba hears Fennec shift behind him, likely amused by what she was watching.

He goes to stand, getting closer to her. “Then why show up here? Wouldn’t it be better to gather the Covert once more, give Din something to focus on?”

“He must process his grief,” She said as Boba circles around him. “Losing a child that you’ve bonded to will be difficult and Din has always been a person to wear his heart on his beskar. He needs to find himself before he comes back to us and be welcomed back with open arms.”

“He would be welcome back? Even after breaking your creed?” Boba stands in front of her, staring down into her visor. It held no emotions and yet he knew that it could express every single one if one were willing to learn to read the signs.

“There are exceptions to the Creed, ones that Din’s situation fall under,” She says smoothly. For a blacksmith, she knew her way to smooth wounds with her words, wisdom wrapping itself around her voice. 

Boba would need her when aggression won’t be the best choice for negotiations. “And yet you show yourself here. Why?”

Another head tilt, her smile wide. Oh, Boba knew he would have to be careful, lest she drags him by the throat when he least expects it. “I offer my skills to the new ruler of Tatooine since the Covert is still scattered. If they catch wind that I am here at your side, they will come.”

“And they’ll offer their loyalty to me,” Boba finishing the thought to where she leads him. Cunning and knew how to offer a tempting deal.

Maybe he had been ensnared by her already when he saw her walking over the dunes. 

“They’ll offer it in exchange for protection. The Republic hasn’t been kind to us and I’ve seen what you’ve done here so far. A better option for survival.” She said, voice giving way that she cared for her people. 

“You can promise this?”

“I may have to keep the more utreekov of the group from challenging all of your decisions, but they will offer their loyalty to you.”

“Deal.”

And with that Fennec comes in, sweeping the Blacksmith towards the section of the palace where she could sleep. Their voices were quiet as they walked away and Boba realizes he needs to find a spot to set up a forge for her to use.

He would consult with her later, she would know better than him about that. Maybe he could talk to her without hiding between the lines of their words.

But first, he needed to get through the day, surviving the hellish heat and those who would try to usurp the throne from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have this one-shot! Was so much fun to write since these two are some of my favourites of the show. I also think it would be a lot of fun for them to meet since they're both a steady presence in Din's life but in different ways. Plus, they would make quite a team as a couple. 
> 
> Might do some more with them (and maybe a combination between the Armorer, Boba and Fennec, bc all of them together are just all kinds of yes for me <3 ) 
> 
> Hopefully, a fun one-shot to read! :D


	2. Chapter Two

The suns were starting to set when Boba went to wander the palace. There was some noise as he went down hallways and common rooms, a few dignitaries staying for the night before they left in the morning. It wasn’t loud, only the chatter of people trying to figure what Boba was doing on the throne - and showing up after about five years of silence - and why there was an unnamed Mandalorian wandering the palace. 

The Blacksmith was a sight for outsiders, something exotic since she held herself differently from the bounty hunters that they expected. She was an image of what a Mandalorian should be, the one that his father had told him about when he opened up about the True Mandalorians to Boba as a child. She was a Mandalorian that was settled in her role of creating and leading her people and didn’t let others tell her how she should be. 

He wanders to a courtyard, seeing how the shadows now crawled along the far wall as the suns continued to set. There was no plant life here, only open space to briefly see the sunlight while staying in the shade. This is where he found her, standing in the middle of the courtyard, using her hammer and chisel as she went through the stances that he’d recognized as close-quarters fighting. 

They were quick, precise strikes and he was sure aimed for weak spots if she were fighting off an opponent. Boba watched, entranced as she continues through the stances, something he remembered hazily from the clones on Kamino practicing. They were practicing, always practicing whenever he snuck off to see them, trying to prepare for a war that they were made to fight in. 

He still doesn’t know the difference between him and them other than his genes and growth were left unaltered when the long necks were creating him. Could have easily been a clone if the long necks hadn’t handed him over to Jango to raise as his son. He was loved, had always known that. 

But it wasn’t exactly hard to see the differences when he got old enough to connect the dots about the situation. 

The Blacksmith stops in her stances suddenly, standing still. “You’re thinking, Boba. What plagues your mind at such an hour?”

“Would you believe me if I said it was you?” He watches as she turns towards him, her smirk visible through the helmet with the way her shoulders were set. 

“I believe you want me to.” She said, voice smooth. “However, I can direct you to come here and spar with me. It’s been a while since I’ve had a partner.”

Boba doesn’t move for a few moments. She wasn’t asking for his thoughts, something he might have expected from others who wanted to see the man behind the helmet. The Blacksmith only to spar with him, to test their skills against each other. 

He doesn’t answer, only walks to where she’s standing. He takes the gaffi stick from his back, holding it in front of him as he bends his knees. She holds her hammer and chisel in front of her body, elbows bent. They stare at each other for a few seconds, looking over each others’ forms. Then as if by synchronizing their thoughts, they move. 

She goes with a quick strike of her hammer to an opening in the armour on his right arm. He blocks it, hearing the sharp ring of metal clashing with the staff of the gaffi stick as he takes a step back. It leaves enough room to swing the gaffi stick at her side, the one end expected to hit if she doesn’t block. She drops her hammer to the ground and grabs at the staff, pulling Boba closer to her. Boba goes along with the motion, moving his leg to kick at the back of her knee to force her to kneel. 

He can sense the smirk on her face as quickly uses her chisel to strike at his leg while quickly yanking the gaffi stick to the side. The chisel strikes at his knee pad as he stumbles a bit from the gaffi being pulled in a different direction. As Boba gains back his balance, she lets go of the stick and picks up her hammer to strike at his chest plate.

It rings loud from this and she moves back quickly, giving him a chance to make his own strike. The Blacksmith doesn’t breathe hard, only resumes the stance she had at the start of this sparring session. Boba takes a moment to look her over, admiring the way she left little to no room for him to successfully strike.

He was starting to see how she survived the Purge.

But he also had a way to get her to yield as well. Boba moves closer to her, swinging the gaffi stick to her knee, at the side where it would be easiest to hook with the club end of it. She blocks this with his hammer, using it to hook the end to prevent him from striking where he wanted it to. Focused on countering that, Boba uses his whipcord thrower to wrap around her knees, trapping her where she stood.

That doesn’t stop her completely. The Blacksmith using her advantage of his hooked gaffi stick, pulls it forward, taking it out of his hands. Dropping both weapons, she twirls the weapon into her hands and uses it to strike at his side. 

Boba smiles as he steps back, out of range of her new weapon. The line on the whipcord tightens as well, giving her less room to move unless she wanted to fall flat on her face.

“Yield yet?” He asks her smugly. 

She answers in the form of a snarl, using the club end of the gaffi stick to hook at the middle of the whipcord line. Before Boba could do anything to stop her, she pulls at it, forcing him to follow along. He gets on his knees before he can release the whipcord and feels the sharp point of the other end of the gaffi stick between his shoulder blades. If this were anything besides a spar, she would have already speared it into his body without remorse.

Boba wonders if he could like her even more than in this moment where she holds his life in her hands. He doesn’t look up, waiting for her to decide when he can do so.

He sees her feet shuffling, then her knees as she goes to kneel, moving the weapon from his shoulder blades. He still doesn’t look up, waiting for her to ask him to. He has to yield.

She hooks a gloved hand at the edge of his helmet and gently moves it so he stares at her visor. It was black, void of anything that would suggest there was a person underneath it. And yet, he sees the fond smile on her face, the brightness of it as she holds him there.

“Do you yield, Boba?” She asks, voice calm. As if she were asking about the weather rather than for him to admit defeat in a spar.

“I yield.”

“Good.” And with that she lets him go and stands up.

He follows, feeling his knees protest at such a movement. They pick up their weapons, dusting off any sand that might have gotten on them. Then they quietly separate, going their own way out of the courtyard. 

The suns were low, stars starting to twinkle in the sky overhead. But Boba felt light, lighter than he’s felt for a while. The Blacksmith would make for a great ally and he hopes to see if more can grow between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, surprise second chapter! I got so excited with this idea that I ended up writing a bit of continuation to this fic! I'm hoping to do another one shot with these two, so there'll be more at some point! :D
> 
> Hopefully, it was fun to read! :D


End file.
